This is the face of a mugger who used his victim's keys to burgle her home minutes after stealing her handbag.

The e-fit has been put together by police with the help of his terrified victim.

And police revealed today that a few days after the break-in, in which goods worth #1,000 were taken, the stolen keys were posted through her letter-box.

After the mugging the woman, 29, ran to a nearby school for help - as the mugger rifled through her handbag and found her house keys and her address on personal papers.

The raid was discovered only 15 minutes later when police officers arrived at the woman's home in Barmston Village, Washington, after picking her up at the school.

The back door was open and cupboards and drawers had been opened. Jewellery, a camera and a camcorder had been stolen.

Det Insp Gavin Hedley, of Washington CID, said today: "The mugger must really have had a nerve as he would have known the police would be called in immediately.

"This is a very worrying trend and I would warn women to be on their guard.

"In this case the woman changed all the house locks immediately - but the house keys were posted through the letter-box several days later."

The mugging happened in an underpass between Northumberland Way and Westerhope Road, Barmston Village, at 11am on Tuesday, March 13.

Det Insp Hedley said: "This was in broad daylight and we are appealing to anyone who saw this man running from the scene or recognises his description to contact us."

The mugger is in his early 20s, 5ft 6in, of medium build, and was wearing a black woollen ribbed knitted Benny hat, dark trousers, white trainers and a cream jacket with a blue band on the front with embroidered pipework finishing with joined letters "Uno."